Went to stop at stop sign, brakes felt spongy. Stopped up the road about 2 miles at my moms house to get my kids, looked under the truck and saw brake fluid dripping down on the left side of the frame behind the left front wheel.I have to replace all of my brake lines now due to rust.
GMC Sierra spongy pedal problems
18 of the 3,904 owner complaints about the GMC Sierra describe soft or spongy brake pedal, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 18
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical mileage
- 30,000
Is there a fix? There are 8 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20051
- 20041
- 20032
- 20021
- 20013
- 20004
- 19993
- 19971
- 19961
- 19901
Often reported together
What owners say
Driving 30 MPH in traffic. Light turns red . Cars in front of me apply brakes .I applied my brakes. Brakes instantly felt spongy and abnormal. Applied more pressure with 2 feet and brake pedal went to the floor with no warning at all. No brake light on dash came on just went to floor. Was determined by my mechanic that the brake lines had rotted and I had a catastrophic brake failure loosing major brake fluid at the accident site.
Sirs/madam; since new the brakes have been spongy. They work but, I am always on alert. The ABS has never worked properly. I have replaced the front rotors with grooved and relieved with drilled holes. I have replaced the brake lining all around. With no difference. My pickup is equipped with rotors. I have complained to the dealership where I bought the pickup. Was told the is/was no warranty implied for braking systems. I have had the brake fluid flushed, still no difference. I am very easy on the braking system. I have an automatic trans and I use it like a standard. The only problem with the brakes that I could think of, might be the equalizer valve. I am only a novice with these brakes even though I am a mechanic by trade. Pertaining to the park brake. After a fashion and $246 spent at the dealership where they said I had left the park brake on, which I did not, I figured out what the problem was. The contact surface for the park brake lining was egg shaped. I had it machined, re-installed the components and my park brake was now functional. From new, I was unable to use the park brake because it never worked. Now the park brake holds my pickup. To wit a few years past there was law suit which I joined because of this very problem. I did receive compensation which made up for the cost at the dealership for "repairs". I understand this 12 years in the making but, the braking problem persists. Thank you for your time and working on keeping the highways as safe as possible.
Loss of braking on bumpy or unpaved downhill slope. The brake pedal became stiff and the truck kept going right out of my driveway into 55 MPH traffic luck being with me no cars or trucks were coming.
My 2003 gmc sierra 1500 has a "clunking" sound, coming from the steering column, when I turn the steering wheel while the vehicle is moving. Also, my front brakes have a "rubbing sound" and the peddle gets "spongy" when I activate the brakes at a low speed.
Dt: the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 2500 hd/diesel. The contact complained about a steering problem.. The steering vibrated when making lower speed turns. This happened when moving or sitting still. It has been fixed approximately 4 times, and it recurred after about 3,000 miles. At 10,000 miles when applying the brakes the steering locked. Also, when applying the brakes the contact lost the brake pedal, it got soft and spongy. They did not pulsate. Also, this affected the steering, the vibration in the steering, and the brakes, which were separate issues. The dealer could not duplicate the problem. He said there was a service bulletin concerning this issue, but the contact's vehicle VIN was not included.
Dt: contact states the brakes have a very soft pedal. It doesn't seem that the anti- lock brake system is working. To make the vehicle stop the pedal has to be pressed all the way to the floor. The service dealer states this is a characteristic of the vehicle. The weather conditions have no influence on the braking capability of the vehicle. The consumer has contacted the manufacturer.*ak
As I am coming to a stop near 10 MPH, the anti lock brake system begins to pulse and the brake pedal becomes spongy and it is hard to stop without pumping the brakes. This is only occurring at speeds under 10 MPH without any slippery road conditions.
Dt: the brake light and anti- lock brake light on the dash comes on and the brakes are spongy. The consumer has not experienced brake failure yet. The consumer has taken the vehicle to dealer and they can't find anything wrong. The manufacturer has not been notified.
On four separate occasions my 1999 gmc sierra had problems braking cause close collisions. When pressing on brake at low speeds to come to a stop brake pedal was hard to press down. Seemed like brake booster went out. Had to apply extream amount of pressure on the brake to avoid collision. Had vehicle checked out by certified mechanic which found nothing after hooking up diagnostics test and also manually checking out brakes. Found nothing on computer to say why brakes failed. If anyone knows why this is please email me at [email protected] luckly there has been no collisions.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles may experience unwanted antilock brake system (ABS) activation. This condition is more likely to occur in environmentally corrosive areas. This recall will be launched in the "salt belt" states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maryland, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia only.
- Risk
- This can cause increased stopping distances during low-speed brake applications, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers are to remove the wheel speed sensor and thoroughly clean the wheel speed sensor mounting surface on the bearing, apply rust inhibitor to the cleaned surface, grease the mounting surface, reinstall the wheel speed sensor, and check the peak-to-peak output voltage to ensure the wheel speed signal is within specifications. The recall began september 22, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 05V379000 · Recall details
Parking brake
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions and built with either pbr parking brake systems or trw parking brake systems, the parking brake friction linings may wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.
- Risk
- If the parking brake does not hold, unintended vehicle movement could occur, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with a pbr parking brake system. On vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system, dealers will install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly. The recall began on july 29, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 05V161000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Certain trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans equipped with bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies, the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator may crack and separate from the hydro-boost assembly during normal operating conditions.
- Risk
- If a separation occurred and the hood of the vehicle were open, fragments from the accumulator could cause injury to people in the immediate area. The presence of this crack or fractured surface could allow the hydraulic fluid to leak from the accumulator circuit of the booster assembly. The loss of fluid would cause increased steering and braking effort and a crash may occur without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will test the hydro-boost assembly for functional operation of the two-function valve. If the hydro-boost assembly fails the test, dealers will replace the assembly free of charge. The recall began on march 23, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc trucks at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493.
Recall number 05V043000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Certain sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger vans fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, ?passenger car brake systems.? Some of these vehicles were produced with an out-of-specification brake hydro-boost housing relief valve bore.
- Risk
- Consequently, the valve o-ring seal may fracture. Steering efforts may be slightly increased while braking or parking. Under certain driving conditions, a fractured seal may require a slight increase in the applied brake pedal effort to achieve the same vehicle deceleration rate as prior to the seat fracture.
- Remedy
- Dealers are to replace the hydro-boost relief valve. The recall began on june 18, 2004. Owners should contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463; or hummer at 1‑866‑486‑6376.
Recall number 04V045000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a clearance condition between the front right-hand brake pipe and the body cross sill that could decrease to the point of allowing contact during the life of the vehicle. If contact occurs and the brake pipe becomes damaged, in half of the brake system there can be a loss of brake fluid and pressure. The brake warning lamp will be activated when the brake fluid level reaches the indicator limit.
- Risk
- During braking, the pedal will be lower than normal and stopping distances will be longer. If this occurs when stopping distance is limited, a crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the front right-hand brake pipe for wear. If there are signs of wear, this section of the brake pipe will be replaced with a new designed brake pipe section. If there are not signs of wear on the brake pipe, the dealer will install a spacer clip to ensure sufficient clearance between the brake pipe and the body cross sill.
Recall number 00V345000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes. Some of these vehicles have an antilock brake system (ABS) motor containing an out-of-specification spring clip. This clip could allow the motor bearing to become misaligned. If misalignment occurs, eventually the ABS would be non-functional.
- Risk
- The base brakes would remain fully functional, but the dynamic rear proportioning (drp) system, which optimizes front to rear brake balance, would become inoperative.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake pressure module valve assembly.
Recall number 00V055000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: rotor
- What is wrong
- Severe corrosion due to road salt at the joint of the stamped steel center section and the cast outer section can cause the sections to separate.
- Risk
- Separation of the rotor sections can cause loss ofbraking ability in the affected wheel. This could result in increased stoppingdistance and/or loss of vehicle control and an accident.
- Remedy
- Replace the front brake rotors with new rotors with a corrosion protection coating. However, if replacement of brake linings are necessary, it will be done at owner's expense since brake linings are normal maintenance items.
Recall number 93V119000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- The pivot bolt holding the brake pedal to its support bracket may be improperly tightened and may not have engaged the locking material on the bolt. The bolt can disengage from the nut.
- Risk
- If the pivot bolt disengages from the nut while thevehicle is in motion, there will be a loss of brake control and could result ina vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers should inspect the hand started brake pedal bolts and torque them to specification.
Recall number 92V056000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Sierra spongy pedal
Which GMC Sierra years have soft or spongy brake pedal problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (4 complaints), 1999 (3 complaints) and 2001 (3 complaints).
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